Video Games Are For Boys, No Girls Allowed

Do women's forum have constant articles about why purses are only marketed and designed by women. Do they suffer from constant hand-wringing about the sexism in the purse industry?
 
Runningflame570 said:
I can't speak for the intent of the person you're quoting, but if you're suggesting that women alone have been disadvantaged by traditional gender roles then you're either being ignorant or disingenuous.
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The key to successful victimization is to never acknowledge that anyone has suffered as much as you have.
 
BladeVenom said:
Do women's forum have constant articles about why purses are only marketed and designed by women. Do they suffer from constant hand-wringing about the sexism in the purse industry?
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I could not BELIEVE that Coach didn't have a GTA 5 clutch. Blatant misandry.
 
Stiletto said:
I am surprised when feminists are pissed off, at least in America or other Western nations. Wake up: the places where you spend your time complaining give you the most rights, freedoms, and protections...and most organizations like NOW usually have little or nothing to say about the rights of the other 90% of the world who are STILL treated like chattel and worse. I'm sure the Saudi women being whipped for driving a car or being raped really feel your pain about not having sufficiently tailored characters in electronic entertainment.

When you have that perspective, and some woman complains about not being represented enough in video games, can you really be surprised when men(and plenty of women) roll their eyes with disgust?
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So, when a dude complains that a video game sucks, that's cool because he's probably objectively evaluating the important things, like gameplay and graphics. When a woman complains that a video game sucks, she's a whining bitch because she's getting upset over nothing, like depictions of women as whores or victims with no agency of their own.

Yeah, there are more important things going on in the world all the time. How the fuck does this site - dedicated in large part to video games and tech toys - continue to exist without its owners closing it down to pursue the really important issues?

Oh yeah, I remember, because they enjoy running a site about the things that they like. And I've known a plethora of women who like video games but some of them aren't happy that women have been given short shrift when it comes to how they've been served and portrayed by the industry. Hard to believe they don't all curl up into the fetal position and mourn how they waste their leisure time instead of protesting for women's rights abroad. :rolleyes:
 
Who cares who it is marketed to, if your not and idiot you would buy what you want to buy, not what some commercial tells you to buy or what the store says is right for you. BRB on my way to get some MLP merchandise :p:p:p:p:rolleyes:.
 
Runningflame570 said:
I can't speak for the intent of the person you're quoting, but if you're suggesting that women alone have been disadvantaged by traditional gender roles then you're either being ignorant or disingenuous.
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Here's one such instance. The idea that men can't be harassed. Just saw it on CNN today (they make me watch it, so to speak)... A bunch of guys were harassed by woman ceo, sued and Judge ruled that they can't because they aren't a protected group.
 
Babbster said:
So, when a dude complains that a video game sucks, that's cool because he's probably objectively evaluating the important things, like gameplay and graphics. When a woman complains that a video game sucks, she's a whining bitch because she's getting upset over nothing, like depictions of women as whores or victims with no agency of their own.
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In that case, what the man is arguing about in my opinion is largely more important to the success of a game and plenty of women complain about graphics and gameplay too. There are female video game critics just the same as there are male video game critics. I'd love to play a game with either a female or male protagonist with great gameplay and great graphics any day. I would not like to play a game with poor graphics and poor gameplay just because it had specifically a female or male protagonist. Those two categories you brought up are important aspects of pretty much any game. More so the former than the later. The gender of the protagonist is not that important to the overall marketability and fun factor of a game.

That being said, to me, I wouldn't find a point and click adventure game about LBGT issues 'great gameplay'; nor would I find a Just Dance game to be 'great gameplay'; even though I like dancing, have been a member of a latin dance club at university and enjoy Salsa dancing. I'm not that into club dancing, dancing along to a computer generated image vs with a real woman and don't want to pretend-club dance along to a character on a the screen. There are many more games out there, I would rather spend my time playing. One could say, these are games targeted towards primarily women that I as a man am not interested in playing. I don't however request those games be reprogrammed to add more maleness. I accept that women might enjoy dancing to Hedley's "I can do anything" more than men.

What the OP you quoted was trying to say is that getting upset over the sex of the character in a video game is a pretty minor thing to get upset about and doesn't do that much to help the fight of equality when largely women get many rights, supports and services men don't get. Men are more likely to be the victim of domestic abuse and women are more likely to instigate domestic abuse -- but there's no men's shelters in my area while there are several female ones. No man I know of, can stay at home with his newborn children while his wife works without being slightly to moderately publicly shamed by co-workers, friends and family.

In other area of the world, women are arguably repressed but as far as North America and Europe go, pay is pretty much equal and in many cases in favor of women(70 cents on the dollar is a B.S argument, untrue as by politicalfacts.com, forbes magazine and many other sources), women have the right to vote, the right to drive, the right to pretty much do anything a man can do if they choose to. They also have the right to not exercise those options if they choose to just as any man can choose not to vote, not get a drivers license or not run for office. Women have products designed and marketed specifically to them. There's a large variety of women's entertainment items in existence. There's nothing inherently wrong with having toys or entertainment products aimed towards men.

The idea of women being able to have their own entertainment products, but, men not able to have entertainment products targeted towards them would not be 'equality' but better treatment for woman then men which is in turn anti-men and giving preferential treatment to women.

Even if we really take up this cause of female video game protagonists, female-preferential themed games, etc not being equally common as male video game protagonists, male-preferential themed games, it doesn't do much to help the woman being stoned for driving in the middle east. In fact, Feminism basically apart from making a lot of 'women's right issues are important' gifs on tumblr hasn't done a lot to help women in other countries and in North American has become more about increasing entitlements for women without decreasing any of the advantages being a woman brings. IE, Women and children off get the life boats first.
 
Babbster said:
So, when a dude complains that a video game sucks, that's cool because he's probably objectively evaluating the important things, like gameplay and graphics. When a woman complains that a video game sucks, she's a whining bitch because she's getting upset over nothing, like depictions of women as whores or victims with no agency of their own.
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Yes, graphics and gameplay are the things that matter. If someone complains about demographic representation, whether they're a man or a woman, especially in the context of a larger discussion of the historical treatment of some demographic, they need to shut the fuck up and play.

Thanks for the incredible misrepresentation of what I said, though. You're so rational. Please continue maligning the words of others to fit your hypersensitive and emotionally unstable worldview.
 
pothb said:
Here's one such instance. The idea that men can't be harassed. Just saw it on CNN today (they make me watch it, so to speak)... A bunch of guys were harassed by woman ceo, sued and Judge ruled that they can't because they aren't a protected group.
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Know something I've noticed? The people who regularly dismiss anti-feminist arguments as "misogynistic" react one of two ways to a counter-argument of misandry:

1. "Oh, please. Men have oppressed women for centuries. Tell me how much you've suffered, patriarch."

2. "Now you're just making up words."
 
Stiletto said:
Yes, graphics and gameplay are the things that matter. If someone complains about demographic representation, whether they're a man or a woman, especially in the context of a larger discussion of the historical treatment of some demographic, they need to shut the fuck up and play.

Thanks for the incredible misrepresentation of what I said, though. You're so rational. Please continue maligning the words of others to fit your hypersensitive and emotionally unstable worldview.
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Thanks for defending yourself. When I read what he wrote, I had the immediate same reaction of "That's not at all what Stiletto wrote and is a huge twisting of his words to fit a feminist ideological lens".
 
I once had a high school English teacher who was a huge feminist. She'd read little short poems and stories in class that called men pigs, and was just so hard on us men. It never made any sense either. On one hand, she thought we were all misogynist bastards; and on the other hand - she wanted us to "man up." As a young man, it was a very confusing year with her around. Thinking back on it now, I probably should have reported her to the principal. There were articles and short features she read out loud to us that, in no doubt, referred to the penis. Crudely, I might add.
 
jbltecnicspro said:
I once had a high school English teacher who was a huge feminist. She'd read little short poems and stories in class that called men pigs, and was just so hard on us men. It never made any sense either. On one hand, she thought we were all misogynist bastards; and on the other hand - she wanted us to "man up." As a young man, it was a very confusing year with her around. Thinking back on it now, I probably should have reported her to the principal. There were articles and short features she read out loud to us that, in no doubt, referred to the penis. Crudely, I might add.
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Was this your High School teacher =D?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GVuK44kWgxk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nvYyGTmcP80
 
WBurchnall said:
Thanks for defending yourself. When I read what he wrote, I had the immediate same reaction of "That's not at all what Stiletto wrote and is a huge twisting of his words to fit a feminist ideological lens".
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No, it wasn't a "huge twisting of his words." He said, in essence, "Women have it good here, so shut up and complain about something in some other country."

I submit that you're the one viewing this through a skewed lens. I'm a guy and I want better female characters in my video games. I want game developers to try harder in this area. For example, I really enjoy the biggest game of the year, GTA V, but that enjoyment is attenuated by the fact that with three characters available they completely whiffed it by not including a woman in the mix. Franklin could easily have been recast as a woman and the game would have been better for it.

This stuff just isn't that hard or even controversial once you get past the macho crap.
 
Babbster said:
No, it wasn't a "huge twisting of his words." He said, in essence, "Women have it good here, so shut up and complain about something in some other country."
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No, what I said, in essence, was "Women complaining about their representation in video games as if it's a goddamned struggle against the patriarchy should talk to women who have had their goddamned vaginas sewn shut and clitorises torn off with rusty piece of metal and discuss the matter as the stupid fucking unimportant bullshit that it is."

Maybe if you weren't getting off so hard on being a moral crusader for one of the most vapid causes imaginable in order to impress the Andrea Dworkin groupies you commonly drink coffee with, you'd have the stable state of mind to be able to address arguments with a modicum of reason.
 
Babbster said:
For example, I really enjoy the biggest game of the year, GTA V, but that enjoyment is attenuated by the fact that with three characters available they completely whiffed it by not including a woman in the mix. Franklin could easily have been recast as a woman and the game would have been better for it.
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Here, I'll apply the Babbster treatment:

"So what you're saying is that black people should go back to Africa where they belong because only white men should be allowed to be shown on television with women?"

That's what you do. Don't do that.
 
Stiletto said:
No, what I said, in essence, was "Women complaining about their representation in video games as if it's a goddamned struggle against the patriarchy should talk to women who have had their goddamned vaginas sewn shut and clitorises torn off with rusty piece of metal and discuss the matter as the stupid fucking unimportant bullshit that it is."
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You really think that's a good argument, don't you?
Maybe if you weren't getting off so hard on being a moral crusader for one of the most vapid causes imaginable in order to impress the Andrea Dworkin groupies you commonly drink coffee with, you'd have the stable state of mind to be able to address arguments with a modicum of reason.
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Well played. Yes, I'll be sending a link to this out on Twitter so that all the stern feminists I covet will think I'm Alan Alda up in here.
 
Babbster said:
You really think that's a good argument, don't you?
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All I think is that you engage in serious distortion of the arguments of those you agree with, and then dodge responsibility for doing so. Learn to debate honestly.
 
Stiletto said:
All I think is that you engage in serious distortion of the arguments of those you disagree with, and then dodge responsibility for doing so. Learn to debate honestly.
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**edited quote for what I think Stiletto meant to say. Edits in Underline.

This actually is common even among professional gender relations researchers and professional feminism writers and researchers. Case in point, a norwegian government funded documentary from the country vote as having the "most equality in Europe". The most progressive country if you will:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YTOFXLl7eh4
 
WBurchnall said:
**edited quote for what I think Stiletto meant to say. Edits in Underline.

This actually is common even among professional gender relations researchers and professional feminism writers and researchers. Case in point, a norwegian government funded documentary from the country vote as having the "most equality in Europe". The most progressive country if you will:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YTOFXLl7eh4
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Thank you. My kingdom for an edit button.
 
Awesome article! I didn't know that a woman was designing my favorite Atari games back in the day. They were the games that appealed to my sister and I equally. We had the same argument about the marketing of breakfast cereal in the 70's. Luckily my mom was smart and bought what was healthy for us instead of the diabetic coma inducing shit that was being pushed on TV. Marketing in general is terrible. Maybe that's why I never turn the TV on other than to watch live events.

I feel sorry for the little girl in the video. I haven't been down a toy aisle in awhile. No wonder my 5 year old niece wants me to install my Humble Bundle games on her Kindle Fire and cell phone. I'd mad too if everything I wanted only came in blue.

Great article and thanks for the good read Steve!
 
Do either of these aisles say "boy" or "girl"? Is there a law keeping this girl from getting something out of the "boy" aisle? This girl, and adults who should know better, wants to both have "nothing different" but also have things marketed specifically to her!
 
Okay, how about this? How about our movies and games no longer have small, skinny female characters somehow kicking people across rooms and beating roomfuls of hulking (obviously male) figures in hand to hand combat?
 
delahaya said:
Okay, how about this? How about our movies and games no longer have small, skinny female characters somehow kicking people across rooms and beating roomfuls of hulking (obviously male) figures in hand to hand combat?
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You're quite the sexist... of course a 110 lb woman can kick a 300 lb man's ass... haven't you watched any TV or movies lately? :rolleyes:

/jk
 
Oh dear god my eyes. The orangy red pull quotes on the tealish background is like the visual version of a dentist's drill. It literally buzzes and painfully so...
 
Wow. Four pages of arguments which can all be summed up with: If you see that a market is being ignored, well then perhaps you can get rich by supplying a product for it. And if you don't make as much money as you thought you could, then the market wasn't there to begin with. So this is basically all based on a group of cranky people who are, simply, delusional. Capitalism never ignores a market. If there's money to be made selling something, someone will make it, and sell it. Period. Way too many people on this planet expect to get what they want provided for them just because they want it.
 
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